23 - 26 June, 2025 |
Hilton Syon Park, London, United Kingdom
Directed Energy Focus Day | 23 June 2025
8:00 - 9:00
REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS
9:00 - 9:10
CHAIRMAN'S OPENING REMARKS
Colonel (Ret.) Paul Daniels -
Senior Defense Consultant and President, P. Daniels Consulting,
FSAD 2025 Co-Chairman
Colonel (Ret.) Paul Daniels
Senior Defense Consultant and President, P. Daniels ConsultingFSAD 2025 Co-Chairman
TRANSITION FROM PROTOTYPE TO PRODUCT: NEXT STEPS FOR PUSHING DE WEAPONS INTO THE FIELD
9:10 - 9:50
BRINGING DIRECTED ENERGY INTO FOCUS: ROLE OF DEW IN MITIGATING THE INCREASING AIR AND MISSILE THREAT
Mr. James Black -
Assistant Director, Defence and Security and European Lead, Space,
RAND Europe
• Balancing the benefits, drawbacks, and countermeasures of DEWs in modern warfare
• Potential challenges of DEW for industry, and developments needed to push investment forward
• Impact of the successful DragonFire trials in the UK to push DEWs into the field
Mr. James Black
Assistant Director, Defence and Security and European Lead, SpaceRAND Europe
9:50 - 10:30
DEVELOPMENTS IN TESTING & EVALUATION FOR DEW INSIGHTS FROM TEAM HERSA
Liam Rickard -
Lead Test & Experimentation Engineer - Directed Energy Weapons,
DE&S - UK MoD
Warrant Officer Matthew Anderson - QMSI ICC, Army Trials Unit
• Insights into the testing & evaluation stages of the UK’s High Energy Laser System
· Importance of testing to meet evolving C-UAS requirements
· Next stages of trials and developments for Team Hersa
10:30 - 11:00
MORNING COFFEE AND NETWORKING BREAK
11:00 - 11:30
STATUS OF THE DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, AND INTEGRATION OF DIRECTED ENERGY APPLICATIONS
Dr Neset Akӧzbek -
Senior Scientist for Directed Energy,
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
· Update on prototyping and testing of US Army DEW for operational capability
· Modernising lethality to counter evolving UAS threats
· New technologies and innovation needed to increase DEW performance
Dr Neset Akӧzbek
Senior Scientist for Directed EnergyU.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
11:30 - 12:00
GERMANY’S GROUND-BASED MISSILE DEFENCE PRIORITIES: EUROPEAN SKY SHIELD INITIATIVE (ESSI)
Brigadier General Arnt Kuebart -
Commander, Ground-Based Forces,
Bundeswehr
· The German Air Force air and missile defence mission
· Current ballistic missile defence capabilities and future requirements for Germany
· Improving the integration and interoperability of air defence in Europe (e.g. ESSI)
12:00 - 12:30
INTERACTIVE AUDIENCE DISCUSSION: ENTERING THE NEXT PHASE OF DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS
• What technological advancements are needed to increase capabilities in the future operating environment?
• How can industry support the integration of Directed Energy Weapons into the wider air defence system?
• What more is needed from a testing and development point of view to push Directed Energy Weapons into the field?
• How do militaries and industry view the timeline for Directed Energy Weapons
ACCELERATING THE INTEGRATION OF DIRECTED ENERGY INTO THE WIDER SYSTEM
12:30 - 14:00
LUNCH AND NETWORKING BREAK
COUNTERING EMERGING THREATS WITH DIRECTED ENERGY
14:00 - 14:30
UK DEVELOPMENTS IN DIRECTED ENERGY LASER WEAPONS TO ENHANCE CAPABILITIES
Martin Suitters -
Head of Innovation & Capability, Complex Weapons,
UK Defence Solutions Centre
· UK DEW capabilities for Counter-UAS, focusing on tracking, targeting, and mitigating threats from enemy drones
· Challenges of developing DEW from a testing, SWaP and robustness point of view
· Cost considerations for directed energy development and integration, including perspectives on DragonFire, Wolfhoud and Ealing
Martin Suitters
Head of Innovation & Capability, Complex WeaponsUK Defence Solutions Centre
14:30 - 15:20
PANEL DISCUSSION: ENHANCING DE CAPABILITIES TO COUNTER EVOLVING THREATS, INCLUDING UAS, SMALL UAS AND DRONE SWARMS
Colonel (Ret.) Paul Daniels -
Senior Defense Consultant and President, P. Daniels Consulting,
FSAD 2025 Co-Chairman
Martin Suitters - Head of Innovation & Capability, Complex Weapons, UK Defence Solutions Centre
Dr Neset Akӧzbek - Senior Scientist for Directed Energy, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
• How do militaries and industry view the proposed applications of High Energy Laser in modern warfare?
• How does the counter-UAS mission impact developments in DEW?
• How can DE weapons be operated in a more volatile, urban environment?
• What technological advancements are needed to increase capabilities in the future operating environment?
• How can industry support the integration of Directed Energy Weapons into the wider air defence system?
Colonel (Ret.) Paul Daniels
Senior Defense Consultant and President, P. Daniels ConsultingFSAD 2025 Co-Chairman
Martin Suitters
Head of Innovation & Capability, Complex WeaponsUK Defence Solutions Centre
Dr Neset Akӧzbek
Senior Scientist for Directed EnergyU.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
15:20 - 16:00
AFTERNOON TEA AND NETWORKING BREAK
DEVELOPING DE TECHNOLOGIES TO SUPPORT MISSION SUCCESS
16:00 - 16:30
HIGH ENERGY LASER WEAPONS TO ENHANCE C-UAS CAPABILITIES
Colonel Adam Miller -
Project Manager and Deputy Director for Directed Energy,
US Army RCCTO
• Exploring HEL capabilities for C-UAS operations
• Key insights into directed energy deployment for M-SHORAD operations
• Transition from Army RCCTO to PEO Missiles & Space
16:30 - 17:00
EVALUATING THE WIDER IMPACT OF HIGH-ENERGY LASER TECHNOLOGY
Rüdiger Schmitt -
Senior Scientist,
French-German Research Institute of Saint Louis (ISL)
· Impact of high-energy laser deployment on existing defence infrastructure
· Restrictions of using HEL in the battlefield, and across different environments
· Considerations of the optronic countermeasures for high-energy lasers
17:00 - 17:10
CHAIRMAN'S CLOSING REMARKS & FOCUS DAY SUMMARY
Colonel (Ret.) Paul Daniels -
Senior Defense Consultant and President, P. Daniels Consulting,
FSAD 2025 Co-Chairman
Colonel (Ret.) Paul Daniels
Senior Defense Consultant and President, P. Daniels ConsultingFSAD 2025 Co-Chairman
